A new bench boss will take over the Port Moody Panthers next season.
The team announced on Tuesday that Mark Goble has stepped into the position, bringing decades of hockey experience to the role, including coaching stints in the BCHL and the WHL. His most recent work has been as head coach of the Port Coquitlam Minor Hockey peewee A1 team this season, following two years with the Coquitlam Chiefs midget A2 squad.
“I feel that one of my strengths is that I’m very personable and a great listener,” he said in a press release. “My philosophy is that if a player is coachable, they will be taught a great deal.”
But Goble will need more than a long hockey resume to get the Panthers on the winning track. The club has missed the playoffs for the last four seasons and finished their latest campaign at the bottom of the standings with an 11-28-3 record.
He acknowledged that work would have to be done to “change the culture of this hockey program” and that particular attention would have to be paid to recruitment.
However, he believes that the talent is there to turn things around and get the team back into playoff contention.
“We have a very deep base of potential junior players currently on our depth chart ready to compete and play next year,” he said. “This, combined with a group of returning players from last year’s squad is an excellent starting point to move forward.”
According to the Panthers, Goble’s 12 seasons in the BCHL will go a long way toward helping the Port Moody club. The team also noted his season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, where he served as assistant general manager and assistant coach in the 1989-’90 season.
Goble said he has worked with hundreds of young players that have moved on to higher levels, including National Hockey League players Brendan Morrison, Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes.
“I’ve had great mentors during my career, including Dave King, Guy Charron, Garth Malarchuk, Garry Davidson, Todd Harkins and Rick Kozuback,” he said. “They all bring something different to the table, but one thing that they have in common is that these men are all champions.”
As head coach, Goble said he plans to play a role in recruiting players. He is already preparing for the spring prospect camp next month at the Pitt Meadows Arena and said he will be working to identify players for the squad.
Team president Dennis Obcena said he believed that Goble has the skills to get his team back into the post-season and even contend for a championship.
“We believe that Mark is an excellent fit as we strive to return to the playoffs and build the Panthers for long-term success,” Obcena said. “Through over 25 years of coaching experience at every level in hockey, including 13 years of junior, we feel that Mark has the ability to assess quality individuals both on and off the ice in order to build a successful program.”
